Chester County dad accused of scalding tot will face trial

OXFORD -- A 20-year-old father accused of severely burning his infant daughter in October will face felony assault charges in county court, a magisterial district judge ruled Monday.

Jorge Louis Colon, of Oxford, is charged with aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child and related offenses for allegedly scalding his infant daughter, Kiara, while bathing her on Oct. 13 at the family's home.

Magisterial District Judge Scott A. Massey ruled the prosecution, led by Deputy District Attorney Elizabeth Pitts, presented enough evidence to hold all charges for the Chester County Court of Common Pleas.

Officials said Colon was bathing his daughter, who was suffering from a colic condition, in a kitchen sink when he became frustrated as she began to cry. In his frustration, police said, he turned the water to a scalding temperature and allowed it to contact his daughter's body.

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Chester County Detective Matthew Gordon, who arrested Colon, testified that he interviewed Kiara's parents after officials at Jennersville Hospital issued a child abuse form to authorities. Gordon then met with the parents at the Crozer-Chester Medical Center's burn unit, where the infant was receiving treatment for critical burn injuries.

Colon and his wife, Maria Ortiz, agreed to meet Gordon and other investigators at the Oxford Police Station for an interview the following morning.

Gordon said Colon told investigators that he turned the water from warm to hot after losing his temper. Then the baby screamed.

"He said it was a scream he had never heard before," Gordon said, adding that Colon also reported seeing sections of his daughter's skin fall off after she was burned.

Gordon said he began to press Colon after his story was inconsistent with what nurses and doctors were telling him about the nature of Kiara's injuries.

"The story evolved as we challenged his answers," Gordon said. "His answers didn't match up."

Kiara, who remains hospitalized, suffered first- and second-degree burns over 40 percent of her body, according to investigators. Her parents told investigators they had grown increasingly frustrated in the weeks prior to the incident as their daughter struggled through her colic condition.

"He (Colon) said that he was frustrated, that he was feeling helpless," Gordon said.

Colon's case will now head to Common Pleas Court. His next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 13 at the Chester County Justice Center, according to court records.